EVEOSD forest information products from AVIRIS and Hyperion

Hyperspectral remote sensing can provide forest information products for applications in forest inventory, forest chemistry, and the Kyoto Protocol. One of the forest information products is the high accuracy forest species map produced by the classification of hyperspectral data. As part of the Evaluation and Validation of EO-1 for Sustainable Development (EVEOSD) Project, Hyperion data were acquired in 2001 and 2002. Corresponding AVIRIS data were also acquired. All hyperspectral data acquired were calibrated to reflectance and orthorectified. Experiments were conducted to compare the accuracies of the data sets for mapping forest species. Operational accuracies for forest species recognition were achieved with both AVIRIS and Hyperion. Bioindicators were also developed for mapping chlorophyll, nitrogen, and moisture content. These bioindicators were stratified by forest type. In the Greater Victoria Watershed District and the Hoquiam, Washington State test sites, foliar samples were collected, analyzed, and databases were built, which include foliar chemistry and plot parameters. These sites were used to develop the indicators and to validate their success. The forest information products produced under the EVEOSD project demonstrate some of the benefits to be achieved from an operational hyperspectral satellite.